19 December 2007 Abta: Consumers can benefit from rise in online travel agents
Consumers may have benefited from the rise in online travel companies because they can be offered discounted rates, it was claimed today.
A spokesperson for the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) said that although some traditional travel agents have lost business due to the popularity of booking a holiday online, those who operate via the internet can set their own commission rate and pass savings on to the customer.
This is partly because tour operators usually set commission levels - but if a company puts together their own packages then they can benefit financially.
"It means they can still offer a very good deal to the customer," he said. "They will get discounted rates from hotels, they get business rates."
According to research from the Office for National Statistics, four-fifths of all trips abroad made by those in the UK in 2006 were to Europe.
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